I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Thus, a group of second-generation heirs from the Ye family, who would hardly ever gather, made their way to the dining hall.

In the Ye family, aside from Ye Yong’s direct line, which was singular, the other grandfathers had numerous offspring, and those offspring had offspring of their own. Not counting the cousins from other branches, there were over fifty cousins under the age of twenty. Adding in those like Ye Mao, who were over twenty, and excluding those who were training in other sects and hadn’t returned, there were a total of sixty-three present.

All of them were potential characters that could develop into reckless villains in the future.

Ye Yong had already decided to teach them well, to prevent the Ye family from attracting trouble that would burden him and wear him down.

—

22 A True Slap in the Face

When Ye Yong and the others suddenly decided to gather for a meal, the servants, caught off guard, began to panic, bustling about in a flurry. The steward in charge of the dining arrangements was especially anxious; after all, these were the young masters and young ladies of the Ye family, and offending any of them was unthinkable—Ye Yong even more so.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please wait a moment, I’ll have the kitchen…”

“No need.” Ye Yong interrupted the obsequious steward, “I have my own preparations.”

Ye Yong took out freshly made spirit food from his culinary system. He lacked for ingredients, as his storage bag was filled with a pile of materials from demon beasts at the Nascent Soul and Golden Core levels, which were highly beneficial for cultivators.

However, he only dared to use the crystallized forms, as there were young children present; too much nourishment could be harmful.

Even the crystallized demon beasts were more than sufficient for the cultivators present, with someone like Ye Mao only at the tenth level of Foundation Establishment.

As Ye Yong continuously produced dozens of first and second-grade spirit dishes, the steward couldn’t help but scratch his head. Ye Yong explained that these were prepared by the senior sisters from the Sound and Painting Hall, who often hosted banquets and had many delicacies that had gone untouched, so they had been saved for occasions like this.

The steward in charge of the meals was no fool when it came to food; he could tell at a glance that these dishes had just been prepared not long ago. But since Young Master Ye Yong had said so, that was how it would be. He played the part of a servant, bustling about, fetching spirit wine for Ye Mao and the others.

Those under ten sat at one table, while the adults who were to drink gathered at another.

The steward watched this group of young masters and young ladies, who would have never gathered together in the past, enjoying their meal with such warmth, and he felt it was quite unbelievable.

If one were to speak of unity in the Ye family, it was indeed very strong outwardly. But internally, there were still some conflicts, especially among the youth; who didn’t want the favor of their elders? Everyone wished to outshine one another, and their competitive spirits made it difficult for them to come together naturally.

Yet today, even the more mischievous young masters were behaving themselves at the table…

The steward couldn’t help but glance at Ye Yong a few more times. It was true that after Ye Yong had tempered his temperament, he had changed significantly; there was now a hint of leadership about him that could guide the entire Ye family. Though the specifics of Ye Yong’s transformation were unclear, this new version of him inspired boundless hope—who wouldn’t be drawn to that?

Even the servants who had once recoiled at the sight of Ye Yong, as if they had seen a ghost, were now gazing at him from a distance, their expressions filled with awe. Such a change was telling.

Half an hour later, as everyone had nearly finished their meal, Ye Yong stood up to speak: “I’m sure many of you are curious about why I’ve changed so much compared to before.”

Not just some, but all of them nodded in unison, especially Ye Mao. It was worth noting that just over four months ago, Ye Yong had only been slightly ahead of him; now he had surpassed him by a wide margin. Ye Mao felt as if he could no longer even see Ye Yong’s back. He was genuinely eager to understand what had caused this widening gap.

“It’s simple, just four words,” Ye Yong said, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the room before finally revealing, “an open heart.”

Indeed, the reason why villains often brought about their own demise was due to their narrow-mindedness and grudges, constantly testing the protagonist’s limits, only to be struck down in return.

Ye Yong couldn’t control others, but as for the people of the Ye family, he was determined to manage them; he wouldn’t allow a single rat dropping to spoil the whole pot of soup.

“An open heart?” Confusion spread across the faces of all the young masters and ladies.

“I ask you, Ye Mao.” Among the family, Ye Mao was the one Ye Yong knew best, so he pointed directly at him.

“What do you want to ask?” Ye Mao appeared somewhat nervous; after all, he had been slapped in the face by Ye Yong more times than he could count, and he was starting to feel a bit afraid.

However, Ye Yong strode directly toward him and delivered a slap—an actual slap to the face.

Ye Mao was stunned, unsure of what he had done wrong. Though Ye Yong hadn’t hit him hard, it didn’t hurt, but in front of so many siblings, he still had his pride to consider. Covering the spot where he had been struck, he stared at Ye Yong for a moment, and a surge of anger welled up within him.

“Are you itching to retaliate right now?” Ye Yong asked.

Ye Mao shook his head.

“Speak honestly,” Ye Yong continued.

Ye Mao still shook his head, feeling that Ye Yong had too many tricks up his sleeve. It was better to choose patience here.

“If you don’t tell the truth, I might just hit you again.”

Well, Ye Mao resigned himself to his fate; it seemed he was destined to be led around by Ye Yong: “If someone gets hit, they’re bound to be angry and want to fight back, right?”

“Then why don’t you dare to fight back?”

“Because… you’re stronger than me.” Ye Mao thought he shouldn’t have come to this gathering. The food was indeed delicious, but being humiliated by Ye Yong afterward was just too unbearable.

“If someone without a background, someone weaker than you, were to hit you…”

“I would kill him.”

“So, do you understand what I meant by having an open mind?”

“Surely, I can’t just get hit and then forgive the other person, can I?” Ye Mao actually wanted to say, if I hit you now, you’re not allowed to fight back; fighting back would mean you lack an open mind. But he didn’t dare; who knew if all of this was part of Ye Yong’s scheme?

“Do you think someone would randomly come and hit you in daily life?”

Ye Mao thought for a moment; there were indeed some, like Ye Yong, that b*stard, but he could only reply, “No…”

“What if someone defeated you in some competition?”